gunsfandomcom-20200223-history
Raufoss Mk 211
Overview: The MK211 RAUFOSS (the official name for it is the NM140 MP (multi-purpose) or the official US Army name for it is the MK211 Mod 0) is a .50 caliber round made for the Barrett M107/M82 and M2 machinegun. It was made by the Norwegian company Nammo AS and is identified by green over white paint on its tip. It has a mixture of High Explosive - normally PETN or Composition A4 (RDX) - and Incendiary components as well as zirconium particles for a long burning effect. Within the round itself sits the tungsten carbide penetrator which is a 215 grain 7.62 penetrator which is ignited by adiabatic pressure being caused on the round as it hits a hard target and travels at 4,000 feet per second into any hard target the MK211 round hits although it can fracture and sometimes does not recognise a hard target therefore does not send the penetrator through. How It Works: Round fired, while the round is spinning it will cause that incendiary to mix which forms a cone shape of pressure and the copper jacket really heats up, round hits, causes adiabatic pressure on the round and even on RHA (it needs this pressure so sense a hard target then push the tungsten penetrator through, that's why it sometimes fails on soft targets) which sometimes causes cracks (weakening the armor but sometimes causing the penetrator to fracture and there is less chance of causing cracks on military-grade armor), penetrates by sending the tungsten penetrator (7.62mm armor-piercing tungsten carbide penetrator used in SLAP rounds) forward through the target at 4,000ft per second, delayed fuse - pyrotechnic train which takes around 30-40cm to set-off, HE (RDX, composition A4) explodes, blast radius of explosion which will kill and some small-scale shrapnel-like effects (from parts of the round being burst apart from the RDX), as well as sending the incendiary mixture mentioned before and high explosive effects inside, zirconium sparks from the zirconium particles are sent inside (burn effects and even lighting clothing on fire or flammable substances - even jet fuel, you name it, this will light it and will remain on fire for more than thirty seconds in most cases) and the projectile still pushing through - even ricocheting around inside the vehicle causing maximum damage. It has around the same destructive power as 20mm rounds, but don't let this lead you to believe it can penetrate as well or cause splash damage like 20mm rounds - it cannot. Penetration Ability: Global security says this round can penetrate around 11mm of RHA at 1000m on a 45 degree angle. Other results suggest it could penetrate 3 and a half inches of steel at 100 yards which leads me to think that it can penetrate an inch of RHA at around 300 yards. One inch thick RHA - API penetrated but did not continue through, the SLAP round exited completely through - this gives you an idea of the penetrability capabilities of the SLAP round when comparing it with the MK211 - and also what the tungsten penetrator can do. MK211 Penetration Tests at 100 yards: 3 and a half inch manhole cover at 30 degrees - MK211 went straight through and burnt the wood behind the target. 1/2 inch steel iron maiden at 300-500m it penetrated. Cinderblock - penetrated 4 of the blocks and because of tumbling and yawing action it penetrated completely through the top. 2 inch thick steel track - went straight through and causes a crack on the plate along. 3/4 inch thick bullet-proof glass - completely penetrated and caused burning for more than 30 seconds after the round hit and also caused burning downrange a whole 30 yards past impact. 600 pound safe - jacket was stripped away and there was heavy fragmentation and burning effects within the safe. 3 out of the 7 tungsten carbide penetrators did not penetrate the back of the safe but completely penetrated the front - one penetrator came through completely perpendicular to the angle. SLAP vs. MK211: The SLAP round can easily penetrate more RHA due to the added velocity of the round but when comparing it to the MK211 it isn't as effective in an urban environment or at causing maximum damage. The small shoe on the SLAP round allows it to travel at more than 4,000 feet per second - compared to around 2,700 to 3,000 odd feet per second with the MK211. If you add the penetrator into account at 4,000 feet per second it is still a very lethal round. You have to adjust a hell of a lot more for the MK211 round meaning creating a new range card for it and it would be very expensive to train snipers to use it. The MK211 can also be used for anti-personnel, anti-explosive and anti-armor roles. Hitting a person the round will detonate about 50% of the time; if the target is wearing body armor a higher detonation frequency is to be expected (as shown by the ICRC tests carried out in 1999). If detonated, the round will have a significant fragmentation and incendiary effect in a 30 degree cone behind the struck target, and this might affect others standing in the vicinity. The distance the round will travel from ignition to detonation is 30–40 cm, so if the target is hit at very specific angles the round may still be inside the target at the time of detonation. Most nations using the round train their soldiers not to deploy the projectile against personnel, but in the heat of battle such regulations are easily overlooked. Also, many parties currently fielding the ammunition have no such regulations. If it hits a person in the open, the charge goes off after the bullet has left the individual. If the person happens to be inside a vehicle... boom! Legality: It is not legal in California, Washington D.C. and New York. Cartridges sell from $40 to $60. Although it is normally bought through companies and businesses linked with government contracts. Quotes About This Round: "Not only do you get the normal ball, with the lead core, you can now put other elements inside, so now what you've got is a bullet that can be fired by a normal sniper at an armoured personnel carrier, once it gets on the inside the incendiary element will detonate which is basically a fireball, so with one bullet you've taken out one armoured vehicle, the crew and the entire infantry section that could be in the back" - Mark Spicer and Ryan McMillan, McMillan inc and Sniper Training Consultants. Reference: Top Sniper II, Episode 3. "If you can get a hold of the Mk211 ammo, the MK211 is the one that’s going to get up there and penetrate, at 1,200 meters it will penetrate 36 inches of reinforced concrete. If you get lucky get the Mk211 with a tungsten core penetrator, it will go through a 16th of an inch of titanium" - ART, US Army Sniper School Instructor. "When the Raufoss round impacts a concrete wall it punches a small .50 calibre hole on one side then the RDX explodes, you have the tungsten steel penetrator punching through, zirconium sparks on the other side, you basically have a shotgun blast of shrapnel and a penetrating dart flying through it" - Steve Reichert, Sniper - Scored a one mile kill shot in Iraq. "Raufoss Multipurpose (Armor-piercing, explosive, incendiary) Ammunition. The crown jewel of 50 calibre sniper rifle ammunition is the Raufoss multi-purpose round, developed by a Norwegian company and manufactured under license by several companies, including Winchester. Said by experts to be the most popular round with U.S. military snipers, it was used to devastating effect by U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War. Designated the MK211 by the U.S. military, the Raufoss round was described by Jane’s International Defense Review in 1994 as “the most influential development of the past decade” in 50 calibre ammunition. The round combines armor-piercing, explosive, and incendiary effects and uses a “highly effective pyrotechnically initiated fuse...that delays detonation of the main projectile charge until after initial target penetration moving projectile fragmentation and damage effect inside the target for maximum anti-personnel and fire start effect.” According to its developer, Nordic Ammunition Company (NAMMO), the round can be used in “sniper rifles similar to Barrett M82A1,” has “the equivalent firing power of a 20 mm projectile to include such targets as helicopters, aircrafts (sic), light armour vehicles, ships and light fortifications,” and can ignite JP4 and JP8 military jet fuel. (The typical 20mm projectile to which NAMMO equates its 50 calibre Raufoss round is approximately .8 inch in diameter, thus more than half again as wide as the 50 calibre. It is used in anti-armor and anti-aircraft cannons, often with an explosive charge. The Vulcan 20mm cannon has been the standard internal gun armament of most U.S. combat aircraft—currently including F-14, F-16, and F/A-18—since the 1950s. According to the Marine Corps, the Barrett “M82A1A...fires the .50-caliber RAUFOSS ammunition, which contains a tungsten penetrator and a more powerful explosive charge than the API ammunition....it has penetrated an inch of steel at 2000 yards.” Jane’s International Defense Review estimates that the round is “probably capable of disabling a man wearing body armor who is standing behind the wall of a house at 2,000m.... (and) can perforate the foundation of a high-rise building (20cm reinforced concrete) at 400m.” Reasonable persons probably would agree that blasting through 20 centimetres (7.87 inches) of reinforced concrete from four football field’s distance is an impressive performance." - http://www.vpc.org/graphics/rooftop.pdf "the Army says that at the long range of 1,500 meters (1,640 yards), ball ammunition can penetrate one inch of concrete, six inches of sand, and 21 inches of clay. At the lesser range of 35 meters (38 yards), ball ammunition can penetrate an inch of armor plate and 16 inches of log wall." - http://www.vpc.org/studies/roofone.htm "I have had some involvement with the 20 mm version. The basic principle of operation is covered in a US patent. I don't remember the number of the patent right off hand. I can't talk about Olin's process, but what I will say and can say, is that the round is a very nifty round. It has a nose filled with an incendiary composition, and a base filled with a mix of RDX and Wax, not C-4. I think it is A-3. According to the patent (and it is correct), this round works by causing the RDX or other high explosive to go from deflagration (burning) to detonation. It turns out that high explosives can detonate, not just from shock, but given enough heat and pressure, they will detonate. The round basically ignites upon deformation of the nose, blowing a superheated jet of flame back through a steel disk with a hole in it, and lighting a differing incendiary charge setting on the RDX. the combination of the hot jet, (and high heat from the incendiary, cause the RDX to start burning, and then to go to detonation. The result, is a fireball followed a few milliseconds later by an explosion that fragments the steel body. It acts sort of like a shotgun at that point. Very effective for 1/8 aluminium such as an airplane body. “ - http://groups.google.com/groups/search?q=mk+211 "I can't tell you a whole lot, but I have been working with a project that involves 20 mm shells. Raufoss (a Norwegian company I think) invented a non-fused, high-explosive incendiary semi-armor piercing technology, that they sell worldwide. They have published brochures on it. The U.S. licensed the technology, and currently uses it on a number of different rounds. There is a basic patent that covers the technology, and you can obtain a copy of it from the patent office. So what follows is based on that patent. The shell in question consists of a hardened steel body, (which acts as a armor piercing body), and a deformable nose cone. The body is packed with a high explosive (typically A-4 though it can be others as well). There is a second layer of a very hot incendiary pressed in on top of the explosive. This layer has a small hole or depression in it. There is a steel disk with a small hole in it that fits over this. The nose is filled with another incendiary that ignites easier. It is pressed in with different densities. The entire nose is then pressed into the body. This round is spaced to go off with impact on .080 aluminium. When the round hits, the nose (soft aluminium) deforms, and that action is enough to pinch the incendiary, and transfers enough heat and energy to start an ignition. The incendiary burns through until it hits the steel disk (used to provide support for the nose incendiary against set-back forces). The hole in the disk allows a jet of flame to ignite a large area of the incendiary over the explosive. As that burns, it generates enough heat and pressure to cause the HE to go from deflagration into detonation. The body then explodes into fragments. So you get a fireball within some inches of penetration, and then an explosion within another few inches or so. It generates a number of fragments that do a lot of damage as they continue to move forward in a cone shape.” - http://groups.google.com/groups/search?q=mk+211 Famous Shots With This Round: Steve Reichert – shot through 2 cement blocks from a mile away and then saw blood splatter on the wall behind the one he penetrated. There were about three insurgents behind this wall and not one of them came out from behind it again, leading him to believe he killed them all. Unknown sniper during the First Gulf War – took out an APC (I believe an M113) of which set on fire from 1,500m away. Ryean 02:03, January 1, 2011 (UTC) Written by Ryan, 1st January 2011. Feel free to add onto it.